


Furry Friends

by ealamusings



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Fluff, d12drabbles, everlark, kitten!Katniss, puppy!Peeta, youtube crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ealamusings/pseuds/ealamusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Separated from their families and placed for sale in a pet store, a kitten and puppy forge an unlikely friendship.</p><p>Posted for D12drabbles for the prompt: Crossover. Inspired by video: https://youtu.be/Y6EAWMscDvI</p>
            </blockquote>





	Furry Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This story is not intended to condemn or condone the practice of selling pets commercially. All readers are encouraged, however, to consider supporting their local animal adoption centers and rescues.
> 
> Warmest hugs to papofglencoe and finduilasnumenesse (on tumblr) for all their help and support! Thank you to D12drabbles for posting my story. :-)

**Furry Friends**

The pet store was almost ready to close up for the day. The workers were going about doing their final checks on all the cages and tanks when the last customers, including a young human with shiny metal in his mouth, stopped to look at Peeta through the glass. Peeta got to his feet. He pressed his puppy nose against the glass, vigorously wagged his tail, and gave the boy his best smile, complete with his soft, wet, pink tongue.

“Please pick me, please pick me,” he begged and whined, but the pinch-faced big human, with the bright-colored lips, frowned.

“No sweetie, a dog is too much trouble. Don’t forget your allergies. We came here for a fish.”

The little human pouted as she dragged him away. Peeta’s tail stopped wagging, and his tongue slipped back into his mouth. He hung his head in sadness.

He was the last of his siblings left. All of them had been wanted. ‘Runt,’ he’d heard the humans call him. He didn’t know what it meant, but he could tell it wasn’t a compliment.

“Nobody needs me,” he whimpered.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye from the glass cage beside him. The little grey and white kitten was giving a huge yawn and stretching after another nap. She liked to sleep most of the day, and he liked to watch her. There was something calming about it. His tail began to wag again of its own accord. She sat impassively staring at him through the glass barrier, blinked, and then began to lick her fur.

 _She’s so pretty. I wish I could lick her fur_ , Peeta thought.

He licked the glass between them to let her know. She blinked her jewel-like eyes at him again.

Another family walked by, but they ignored him. Instead they went right to the kitten’s enclosure.

******

“This one is called KAT-niss,” one of the little humans said.

An older one rolled his eyes. “Wow, that’s clever.”

Katniss looked up from her grooming and regarded the family with suspicion.

 _They look like the types who’d feed me tasteless kibbles_ , she deduced.

“Keep moving, losers,” she meowed.

“Hmm, I don’t think that one is very friendly,” the big male human grumbled. With smug satisfaction, Katniss watched them walk to the next kitten cage.

She turned to make a snarky meow about the humans to the puppy beside her. He was always so eager. Really, he should be more careful. Some of these people couldn’t be trusted. But he was curled up into a golden, furry ball, snuffling into his blanket. He seemed so lonely. Dogs were like that, she’d learned.

 _I’m a cat_ , she declared to herself. _I don’t need anybody_.

But she remembered when she was first brought here a couple days ago, scared and anxious and upset, after being separated from her mama and the rest of her litter. That first night, the puppy next door had yipped and smiled at her. He pushed his toys up to the glass with his nose. He tried to show off with jumps and flips, rolling on his back and wiggling when he fell over.

“I’m Peeta, I’m Peeta, I’m Peeta!” he yipped in excitement. “Who are you? Can I be your friend?”

Katniss had scrunched up, her feet tucked beneath her and her head down as she tried to become invisible, and stared at him.

He’s so clumsy, she thought, but it was kind of cute how he tried so hard to make her smile. He didn’t seem to care that he was making a fool of himself. By the morning she had forgotten all about missing her family.

She watched him, his round, furry chest rising and falling with every deep, sorrowful breath whenever he was passed over by another human family.

 _I must comfort him_ , she thought. She owed him, after all, for helping her that first day. His fur was smushed up against the glass, so she rubbed against it on the other side trying to reach him. But it was no good. His eyes were closed, even though she could see his ears lift a little as she purred to him through the glass.

 _Worthless_ , she berated herself. _I’m worthless_.

For the first time she began to worry about someone picking him. Then he’d leave, and she just knew that whoever took his place wouldn’t be nearly so nice. _Yes, he shouldn’t try so hard_ , she thought. But that was selfish. After all, what good was a friend that you could only look at through the glass? Peeta clearly needed something more.

Katniss sat back on her haunches and gave a huff of frustration. Then she looked up and saw the small gap in the glass at the top of her cage.

_Yes, that’s it!_

She meowed to Peeta, but he was too despondent to reply. He was usually so playful and happy. _Maybe he’s sick or something_ , she thought, and she began to panic a little.

Katniss paced a couple of times in front of the glass, evaluating the task. She leapt, but missed and fell back to the floor. It only made her angry and more determined. She took a deep breath and crouched low, imagining pouncing on a mouse. She’d never hunted before, but some instinct called out to her in her time of need. It was just the motivation she was looking for. The tip of her tail twitched, and every muscle flexed in anticipation.

And Katniss tried again.

_Success! I made it!_

_But wait, not quite_. Her front paws gripped the top, but getting her hind quarters up was posing a more difficult challenge as she tried to balance on the precarious ledge of glass.

“Umph. Must… get… over…” she grunted and meowed, her claws scraping over the smooth glass surfaces. _I’m a cat. I can DO THIS_ , she told herself. _This is what I do!_

******

Alerted by the sudden commotion, Peeta scrambled to his feet.

“What’s happening?” he cried. “Katniss? What are you doing?”

_She’s escaping! Wait, what’s she doing? Yes! She’s coming to see me! Omg, omg, omg! She’s climbing over the edge of my cage!_

_Let me kiss you, let me kiss you!_ He couldn't resist stretching up to sniff and lick her muzzle. _Be careful, don’t fall!_

Of course Katniss wouldn’t fall, she’s a cat. _But, oh, oh, please be careful!_

“Meowph. Peeta… just let me… get over… the ledge first… give me a moment…” Thump!

 _She’s in!_ “C’mere, c’mere!” Peeta whimpered. “Let me love you!”

Yipping gleefully, Peeta circled and nuzzled her all over, relying on his excellent sense of smell and sharp eyes to convince his skeptical brain that it was all real.

That’s how the pet store humans found them the next day when they came into the shop.

The male human grumbled, “How’d you get in there?” and reached in and rudely grabbed Katniss around her little belly. She hissed and snarled, and Peeta barked and jumped and paced. He would never bite a human, but Katniss was a cat.

“Ow!” the human shrieked as he tossed her back into her enclosure, clutching his shredded arm.

“What’s going on?” the female human asked as she came running.

“Stupid cat clawed and bit me!” he grumbled.

“You better let me clean up that arm,” the female said, and they went away.

Katniss crouched in the corner for the rest of the day, seething. Peeta could see her eyes glower and her tail twitch as she hissed at everybody. He turned away and sulked, but stayed close to the glass next to her.

The next morning the human male let out an exasperated sigh. Peeta looked up from where his chin rested on Katniss’s back. She was still sleeping, curled up between his big paws.

“She got in again?” the female asked.

The male rubbed his bandaged arm. “Well, I’m not fishing her out,” he snorted.

The female shrugged. “Just leave them. What’s the harm? Somebody’s gonna buy one of them soon, and it won’t matter anyway.”

 _Oh no! What if someone took Katniss away!_ Peeta started to whimper, waking up the soft, grey, fur ball he loved. She yawned.

******

“Don’t worry,” Katniss said licking his nose with her raspy tongue. “I’ll teach you to scowl and be unlovable, too,” she told him. “Then nobody will bother us.”

But it was harder than she realized. His golden fur was so silky, his eyes so bright and shiny, and he smelled so nice. Peeta was too darn cute and sweet-tempered. She began to grow concerned. She tried to teach him to growl, but the sound that came from him made her tummy feel all warm and ticklish.

And then a new worry grew as Katniss began to wonder about who might take Peeta. Another day went by, and the humans came and went. If he was going to be chosen, she wanted him to go to the best home possible.

“You need to be careful,” she told him. “That last one called you ‘Peetie.’” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “And that little human looks like an ear and tail-puller, too. You shouldn’t have to settle for that. They don’t deserve you!”

Katniss lay awake that night, since she was a cat, watching over Peeta as he slept. He seemed to enjoy the rumbling purrs that transmitted from her body to his. She was scared to admit that it wasn’t just about finding a good home for Peeta. If he left, she’d be all alone. She didn’t want to be alone. _I need him._ She gave a plaintive mewl and began to massage him with her alternately kneading paws.

He woke up and looked at her with concern. “Katniss?”

“But we aren’t even the same species,” she cried. “Cats and dogs aren’t supposed to love each other. You’re supposed to chase and bite me, and I’m supposed to scratch your eyes.”

Peeta gazed at her with adoration and licked her fur.

“But we’re both so cute and cuddly and little. How could it be wrong?” he asked her.

When she blinked her eyes in gratitude and snuggled up in his soft fur, Peeta sighed and placed his chin back down on her head. Content and warm, Katniss fell back asleep. She really needed her rest. Protecting Peeta was hard work.

A couple days later, they woke up from a nap to see a little girl human staring at them with her hands pressed against the glass. She had two gold braids and a gentle smile, but it made Katniss panic.

 _She’s going to take Peeta!_ She knew it.

A big human man with kind eyes bent down to look through the glass beside her.

“She’s a pretty one, Prim,” the man said. “She’s grey and white, just like you wanted.”

The girl blinked and nodded.

 _What? She wants me?_ Katniss thought in confusion.

Even though the girl looked very nice, Katniss knew she couldn’t leave Peeta. She was just about to snarl and hiss when the girl looked up at the big man with sad eyes, her lower lip trembling.

Katniss felt Peeta stir beside her. He automatically began to pant, sticking out his adorable pink tongue, and wagged his tail at the little girl. Katniss gave a low, rumbling growl so that he remembered. Peeta closed his mouth and tried to look sullen.

“But Daddy, look at them,” the little girl pleaded.

 _Wait a minute!_ Maybe there was a solution to this problem.

Katniss dug deep and, mustering all her carefully guarded emotions, she put on her friendliest, most beseeching expression. She gave a sweet meow and rubbed her chin against Peeta’s face. His tail started to wag, and _thump, thump, thump_ it went against the floor, demanding attention.

She and Peeta exchanged a glance, and Katniss was relieved to see he understood. They were a team, after all. He gave the top of her head an affectionate lick and began to whine in his most endearing way.

“Pleeease?” the little girl begged.

The big man sighed and smiled at the little girl. “Okay,” he said to the pet shop humans. “We’ll take them both.”

The little girl hugged the man and cried, “Thank you, Daddy! I’ll take good care of both of them! I promise!”

Katniss turned and gazed with affection at Peeta. He grinned back, panting happily. And, even though she was a cat, and cats were supposed to be aloof, Katniss pounced on him in her excitement, tackling him to the floor.

“Together?” Peeta barked merrily, and kissed her nose with his soft, pink tongue.

“Together,” she purred.


End file.
